– About Madeline –

Madeline Stuart is changing society’s perceptions of beauty – one photo shoot at a time.

Madeline Stuart is an 18 year old aspiring model from Brisbane, Australia with Down Syndrome. As with many people with Down Syndrome Maddy struggled with her weight for a long time, and last year she decided to get healthy and chase after her dreams.

Maddy really wants to change the way people discriminate against disability through gaining attention through social media. She wants people to know that Down Syndrome is a blessing, something to be celebrated. “She loves the camera! People need to see how she shines, how her personality just bursts out.” Help Maddy get her message across by sharing her photos and her story and make the world a better place.

- Latest from Maddy -

Madeline’s Story From The Beginning

Last year we were at a fashion parade and Maddy said, “Mum, Me, Model” My little girl always loved being in the spotlight, and I knew at that moment she wanted to get up on the catwalk then and there. Of course this meant that I had to explain to her that she couldn’t just climb up on the stage and model, which didn’t go down well as you can imagine. But I also knew at that moment that my daughter was going to do something special.

After the parade, I explained to Maddy that if she wanted to be a model she would have to keep on the healthy eating schedule she had started earlier that year to keep up with her dance troupe. Nine months later, we were off to see a professional photographer. Maddy was super excited to do her first photo shoot. As for me, I was doing it to see if she would actually like doing a photo shoot; it is one thing to say you want to do something but another is to experience how it is done and decide you actually love it.

Well she loved it, and when I previewed the photos the following week, I nearly fell out of my chair. I had always known my baby girl was cute, but in these photos she was stunning.

I consulted with parents with children living with Down syndrome before doing anything. I wanted to know what people thought about what we were doing and if the photos were too controversial;